Bunch builder



6, 1941. H. H. HOLCOMBE BUNCH BUILDER Filed Jan. 5, 1939 INVENTOR HOMER H. HOLCOMBE ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 26, 1941 BUNCH BUILDER Homer H. Holcombe, Columbus, Ga., assignor'to Textile Equipment, Inc., a corporation of Alabama Application January 3, 1939, Serial No. 248,914

6 Claims. (01. 242-7433) My invention relates to a bunch builder attachment for spinning and winding frames having for its object to wind at the base of the feeler wood on bobbins, quills, or yarn carriers, a preliminary bunch before the ring rail, or its equivalent, is released from control of the buildermechanism and is therefore free to lay the main service windings on the carrier.

More particularly, my present invention has for its object to improve and perfect the type of bunch builder mechanism forming the subject matter of Letters Patent No. 1,670,860, issuedon May 22, 1928, which comprises a controller in the form of a segmental gear, toothed overhead so as to mesh with a pinion .on the main cam shaft, and shaped below to form a cam with which an element on the builder arm was adapted to engage while the bunch was beingbuilt and to run out of engagement therewith at the completion of the building of :the bunch, means being provided to vary the length of engagement of the controller with the pinion and builder arm, thereby to determine the length of yarn that would he wound into the bunch. In that mechanism the controller cam and gear element was provided with an elongated slot which received a fixed pivot. At the completion of each bunch building operation this slot allowed the controller to shift bodily to lowered or idle position in which it would rest until, upon thelowering of the ring rail to don, it was freed to swing by gravity into position to be lifted back into engagement with the gear and builder by the risingbuilder arm so as to repeat anew its bunch building cycle.

In the operation .of that builder it was found that the angular displacement of the long axis of the elongated slot in the controller fromthe vertical at the time the controller was ready to drop would cause it to hang so that'it would not always drop freely. Further, when it was necessary to enlarge the toothed and cam segments of the controller to apply more yarn to build a larger bunch or to build a standard bunch with fine numbers of yarn, the angular displacement of the slot would be enlarged and interference with its free drop to idle position further increased, and in some instances the enlargement of the controller would cause it to interfere with some element of the winding frame or .to become overbalanced and thus renderedrinoperative.

In my present invention I propose to obviate these objections by employing a pivot for the controller which is fixed in its center and is disposed free to play vertically in a guide slot in the swing stand or support "for the controller. I This transposition of the pivot slot from the controller to its fixed support has many advantages. It leaves the controller free to drop always vertically without any variation in the frictional engagement of its pivot with its guide slot; it maintains constant the relation of the gear and cam surfaces to the pivotal center of the controller, thus enabling its size to be increased; and, what is of greatest importance, it enables the arcs of the gear and cam surfaces of the controller to be greatly increased so that each can subtend almost or nearly twice as much as was practical with the controller shown in said patent.

A further object of my invention was to take advantage of the available increased size of the arc'subtended by the cam to provide therein corrugations deep enough to lay the windings in the bunch with sufiicient traverse to insure the firm placing of the yarn in the bunch which will prevent its slufling off and make more reliable its control of the feeler motion on the loom.

A further object of my invention is to improve the design and mounting of the counter-weight for the controller so that it will also function as a stop, and to this end I swing the weight arm from the pivot bolt of the controller and secure it in the desired adjustment relative to the convolutions of "the controller cam. I place the counter-weighted portion of this arm inposition to overhang beyond and under the controller cam, whereby its leverage action is increased with the angulardisplacement of the controller and it is so placed that it will not swing into engagement with any parts of the winding mechanism but will engage the roller on the builder -arm.to stop the return swing of thecontroller when the latter reaches its idle position.

' These and other objects in view will be found exemplified in the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation :of a conventional builder arm for a spinning frame with my improved bunch building segmental gear and cam shown in median operating position which it completion of a bunch building operation.

Fig. 4 is a detail viewshowing the builder cam in position it assumes while being lifted from inactive position into operative engagement with the pinion on the main gear shaft to start the bunch building operation.

Fig. is a detail view of the counter-weight and stop arm.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar part throughout the drawing.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, I show a conventional builder rack 5 with a pivot B and a counterweight I responsive to which it isadapted to swing vertically during the winding and dofiing operations. This rack carries a pick wheel 8 which drives a worm 9 meshing with the worm gear drum II] about which the builder traverse chain II is wound during the application of the main service winding. I suitably journal in the frame of the winding machine a cam shaft I2 for the main builder cam I3, which, in the manner well understood in this art, engages a pitman roller I4 having end trunnions by means of which it is rotatably mounted in yoke bearings I5 carried by a casting l6 rigidly attached by a bolt II to the builder rack 5. The engagement of this roller with the main cam I3 effects the-normal oscillations of the builder rack incidental to the application of the main service windings. The parts thus far described are typical of any standard traverse motion for a spinning frame or winding mechanism and are therefore capable of wide modification.

I attach to the builder rack 5 on the opposite side from the casting I6 a bracket arm I8 having an angled top connected to the rack by the bolt I! and having its main depending leg formed with a vertical slot I9 in its lower portion through which passes a bolt which is adjustably mounted through this slot and is clamped in adjusted position by jam nuts 2|. This bolt, at its outer end, carries the roller 22 rotatably held in position between the bolt head and a washer 24. This bolt 29 passes loosely through an elongated slot 25 in a suitable stationary support and guide for the bunch building mechanism. While this support can have any stationary mounting, I show it in the form of a swing stand or hanger bar 26 hung loosely at its upper end on the shaft l2 between a collar 21 on one side and a washer 28 on the other, the washer being held in position by the gear 29 held on the shaft I2 by a set screw 30. The teeth are cut at one end of this gear and they are disposed to mesh with the segmental gear portion 3| of the controller 32, shown more clearly in Fig. 1.

This controller 32 has a central pivot hole to receive a stud bolt 33 which forms its pivot, said bolt being passed loosely through an upper vertically elongated slot 34 in the swing stand 26. A washer 35 is interposed between the controller 32 and the swing stand 26 and said parts are held in assembled relation on the bolt by means of a nut 36 which engages a counter-weight arm 31 between it and the controller, which arm is drilled for the passage of the bolt and on the inner face of its outer end it is enlarged at 38 to form a counter-weight which is free to swing about the pivot bolt 33 in juxtaposition to the cam segment 39 of the controller which it underhangs. This cam segment 39 is corrugated to give a suitable traverse motion to the builder rack during the Winding of the bunch. Opposite each convex surface of the cam I form a bolt hole'4ll and a bolt 4| is passedthrough the outer end of the counter-weight arm 31 to connect it in the desired hole 40 and set the arm in any desired adjusted position with respect to the cam segment.

As shown it is in the extreme position at the left of the cam segment which is the position for the laying on the maximum amount of yarn to build the bunch.

In Fig. 5 the relationship of this counter-weight element to the controller cam 39 is clearly shown and it is to be noted that the weight 38 is under-. hung sufficiently beyond the cam to engage the roller 22 and thus form a stop which, a shown in Fig. 4, will arrest the cam in position ready to start the building of the bunch. It will be noted that the gear segment 3| and the cam segment 39 of the controller, form arcs substantially equidistant from the pivot bolt 33 and therefore from. the center of the controller, and these segments together occupya very large portion of the circumference of the circle in which they lie. controller is cut away in its body portion to light en it and has deep indentations at 42 and 43 which separate the segments 3I and 39, the indentation 43 having a functional relationship with the roller 22 which will be later pointed out.

Assuming the parts assembled as described, during the application of the main service windings the controller will hang idle in the position shown in Fig. 3, in which its gear segment 3| is dropped below and out of engagement with the gear 29 and the, roller 22 is in engagement with the left side edge of the indentation 43. The counterweight arm 3'! is in raised position unbalancing the controller for a counter-clockwise rotation and thus holding it in engagement with the roller 22. When the dofier depresses the builder rack to dotted position, Fig. 3, the roller 22 will, by reason of its being mounted on the rack, be lowered with the rack to dotted position, which brings it substantially below the cam segment 39 of the controller and thus frees the latter to swing, responsive to being unbalanced by its counter-weight, until the latter strikes the roller 22 which will then stand in position to lift the controller along with the builder rack when the latter is released at the completion of the doffing operation and the mechanism is ready to commence the winding of a new set of quills or yarn carriers. When thus released the builder rack will swing up from dotted position, Fig. 3, and in lifting the roller 22 with it the latter will pick up and lift the controller into position for its gear segment 3I to engage the gear 29, see Fig. 4, which, as it is turning counter-clockwise, will commence to rotate the controller 32 clockwise. As this rotation proceeds the cam segment 39 will pass with its corrugated surface riding the roller 22 andwill thus transfer through the elements 23 and I8 a suitable traverse motion .to the builder rack that will lay the windings in the bunch tightly and securely so that the bunch will not slufi off under the action of the feeler mechanism of the loom.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the controller is shown in service position winding the bunch and it will be apparent that before the gear segment 3| will have run out of engagement with the gear 29, the cam segment 39' will swing past the roller 22, thus, freeing the controller element to drop vertically to the position shown in Fig. 3, this drop being accomplished without jar or shake due to the engagement. of curved face 44 of the recess 43 with the roller 22. In this drop the pivot bolt 33 for the controller drops freely to the bottom portion of its guide slot 34 in the swing stand 26.. Thereupon, the controller will hang idle, see Fig; 3, during the main service winding operation and cannot be restored to The operating position until the rack is again moved to its extreme lowered position incidental to a dofiing operation. The controller drops freely in the absence of frictional engagement with its uide slot walls.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, Without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

1. In a builder motion for winding machines comprising a builder cam and a builder rack normally controlled thereby to apply the main service windings, a bunch building mechanism comprising a driving element rotatable with said cam, a driven controller carrying a pivot disposed substantially centrally thereof, a support for said controller having a vertically elongated guide slot for the controller pivot adapted to permit the controller to have free vertical movement bodily, means connected to the builder rack for controlling the angular and bodily movements of said controller to cause it automatically to engage said driving element for a time and automatically to release itself therefrom, said controller when engaged with said driving element being adapted to intercept control of the builder rack by the builder cam and cause the building of a bunch.

2. A builder mechanism according to claim 1, in which the controller has a center 'hole adapted to its pivot, and the pivot is a bearing stud loosely passed through the guide slot in the controller support and carrying elements to hold the controller and support assembled with the controller free for swinging and vertical bodily movements relative to its support.

3. A bunch builder mechanism for a winding machine having a builder cam and a builder rack, comprising a driving element rotatable with said cam, a driven controller element and means to mount it independently of the builder rack free for angular and vertical play, an auxiliary pitnan roller on the builder rack adapted by engagement with said controller element to control its vertical and angular free play and to cause it to engage said driving element automatically responsive to a dofling operation, said controller element while engaged with said driving element being adapted to intercept control of the builder rack by the builder cam and cause the buildingv of a bunch, and a counterweight connected to the periphery of the controller element, a portion of said counterweight being underhung below said controller element to form a stop in position to strike said auxiliary pitman roller.

4. A bunch builder mechanism according to claim 3, in which the counterweight is formed by an arm pivoted co-axially with the controller element and made fast thereto with its outer end weighted and projecting radially beyond the controller element into roller ngaging position.

5. The combination with a builder rack and a builder cam with its drive shaft, of a drive element rotatable with said cam, a controller rotatably but non-translatably mounted on a pivot and adapted to shift into and out of operative relation between said drive element and builder rack thereby respectively to intercept and restore control of the rack by said builder cam, an element mounted to present in vertical position a guide slot in which the pivot has free vertical play, thereby to permit the controller to drop vertically and freely out of operative relation with said drive element and builder rack after the completion of a bunch building operation, and means designed and arranged to reset and restore said controller to operative relation between said drive element and controller responsive to the movements of the builder rack incidental to dofiing.

6. The mechanism according to claim 5, in which the guide slot is formed in a hanger loosely mounted on the cam drive shaft, and coacting elements on the builder rack and hanger adapted to hold the latter in vertical position.

HOMER H. I-IOLCOMBE. 

